While the development team at Microsoft's 343 Industries may be working on a new Halo game for the Xbox One console, future games in the sci-fi shooter series could be released via the free-to-play business model.

That's what Bonnie Ross, the general manager at Microsoft's 343 Industries, hinted at this week at a panel during the Geekwire Summit. Ross stated that it would be hard to take a game franchise and turn it into a free-to-play game. However, she added, "If we were to ever do free-to-play, we would look at what the right type of game [it would be] for Halo. We have the luxury that we have a huge universe where we can do different types of games."

Microsoft has launched free-to-play games in the past, most notably Microsoft Flight and Age of Empires Online, both for the PC. However, those games did not get the public reception that Microsoft was hoping for. Microsoft disbanded its development team for Microsoft Flight a few months after it launched in 2012. Earlier this summer, Microsoft also confirmed that Age of Empires Online, which first launched in 2011, would shut down on July 1st, 2014.

Free to Play for me has always felt like Pay to Win. The developers will always proclaim the game is perfectly playable without paying, but in my experience those who do pay have a significant advantage over everybody else. I'd much rather everybody pay for the game and be on a level playing field.